Having had a chance to play with Painter 2015 for a week, I think I can talk a little more about how it’s working out for me.
It would seem having to redo the settings on my brushes isn’t enough anymore. I’ve found that a couple of the subtools I’ve relied on over the years are no longer adequate for the things I need to do.
First, the Cover Pencil, which has been my go-to for any kind of line work, is being retired (as a line work subtool anyway). Even if I boost the size, I’m just not getting the solid-but-just-soft-enough line quality without having to go back over the same line several times over, not without getting these little knots and blips along the way that I have to go shave off later. It’s like a piece of yarn that gets the best sex pills for men and tufts because of friction. This is something that’s been happening since 12, although there it was slightly less of a problem, but the 2015 update more or less forced the issue.
I found, entirely by experimentation, that the Acrylic Opaque Detail Brush 3 works much, MUCH better for laying down lines (in addition to its existing role as laying down flat medium colors in small spaces). At normal pressure, I’m getting the line quality I need at just the right opacity, and if I can’t nail it the first time, I only have to make at most two additional passes, and I don’t have to resort to short strokes as I did with the Cover Pencil. And while I previously thought I was okay with having to press harder to get the opacity I wanted… I like this method much better!
I’ll keep the Cover Pencil around for the super-fine details (like individual beard hairs or tiny highlights on small objects), but it looks like the Acrylic Detail Brush will get top billing at the line art phase from hereon.
Next, the Acrylic Drybrush sets. This is where it gets a little complicated. The drybrush subtools have been my staples for nearly all of my blending because that’s how I worked with real paints and it transferred well to digital. I liked the drybrush also because it left a sort of “indicator” that while this was digital, a human hand controlled the stylus. Something about the drybrush’s mark feels “imperfect” in an endearing way.
Unfortunately, the 2015 update altered the drybrush set in a way that reduces their appeal to me in that regard. They’re still very useful for blending, but I’m just not seeing much of the bristly-brushiness anymore. I’ll need to dig through the Acyrlics subtool list (or perhaps other painterly brushes) to find something similar. I liked that effect!
Overall, I’ve noticed I’ve had to use the next brush size up, sometimes even two sizes up, to get a sufficient stroke size. This is, again, the end result of enhanced pressure level control.
In other news, I guess tonight I’ll find out whether or not my Diamond Time post gets read on Night Attack. It’s basically a plug for my portfolio (and commissions!). Since I recently did that painting, I’d like to think I’m a shoo-in, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions.